"Do it quickly! Maud has already gone out shopping for Dad's birthday party. Thus, she can't be relied on to do the house choirs." Claire sneered. She had deliberately sent their maid Maud on errands early in the morning to make sure that Leena would make mistakes and shame herself.
Alright. I see. Please get out so that I can change," said Leena. She was not accustomed to changing her clothes before anyone, let alone Claire. Although models in those fashion shows could get changed at the backstage with the presence of other staff, Leena couldn't allow herself to do that.
"Don't be a fool. I won't stare at you." Claire gave Leena a condescending glance, raised her chin proudly and walked out. She was deliberately treating Leena as a maid rather than Kevin's wife.
Leena bit her lips and swallowed her anger. Frustration was beginning to be a constant scenario for her whenever she was dealing with Claire. The woman was obviously belittling her in any possible way! To tell the truth, Leena could cook a decent breakfast for the family. It was just that she had no idea what Kevin's family liked for breakfast. Standing at the kitchen, Leena looked troubled and didn't know what to do.
"What's wrong with you? What're you waiting for? I'm starving. I need to eat my breakfast as soon as possible." Claire came inside the kitchen, sat down on a stool and seemed to have made up her mind to supervise Leena.
"Claire, can you tell me what you guys want to eat for your breakfast?" asked Leena humbly. Although she knew Claire might refuse to give her an answer, she had to try finding out what the family preferred when it came to foods.
"Will you do whatever I tell you?" Claire's mind was set to put Leena in an awkward situation. She stared at Leena cunningly and decided to make fun of her while everyone else wasn't around.
"I'll try. I can cook some simple dishes but I can't guarantee that they're delicious," said Leena awkwardly. Then, she wiped her hand on the apron nervously, opened the refrigerator and chose some materials which could be used to cook breakfast.
"I don't care. Dad's a very picky eater. You do know what the consequences are if he doesn't like the meal, right?" said Claire. She wasn't threatening Leena with a bluff. Actually, she told the truth. Nathan was fine with almost everything but extremely picky about his breakfast. As far as Nathan was concerned, a good breakfast would fill a person with all necessary energy for a full day. Therefore, he just couldn't bear a nasty breakfast.
"Can you be kind enough to tell me whether Dad likes a Chinese breakfast or a western-style breakfast?" asked Leena in panic. Nathan was one of Leena's most feared person. She knew perfectly that messing up his breakfast would cause her a big trouble.
"Hmp! We're Chinese. Of course, we eat Chinese breakfast." Claire retorted. Another thing that Claire hated about her sister-in-law was how Leena was pretending to be someone else. 'Whoa! How could you even mention western-style food and act as if you know anything about it? You probably couldn't even afford to have one. You're so fake!' she thought while staring at Leena.
"Claire, why do you dislike me so much? Have I done anything wrong?" Leena could bear Claire's disapproval on some occasions to remain good family relationships. On the other hand, she refused to be belittled by Kevin's sister again and again. Kind as she was, Leena could also lose her temper sometimes.
"I never said that I disliked you. If you have a grudge against me, don't tell Mom or Dad," said Claire. Claire played with her bobbed hairdo and looked at her sister-in-law contemptuously.
"You must have misunderstood me. I know I have some imperfections. Tell me what I'm doing wrong and I'll try my best to correct it. There's no need for you to give me hell," said Leena. Leena bowed her head. She married Kevin for a bright future rather than being sneered at and mocked by his family. She had always been a beloved daughter in her family and had been known to excel over anyone else since childhood. It was a huge puzzle to her why was Claire looking down on her at all!
"I don't deliberately target you. Nevertheless, I can hate somebody heartily sometimes and I don't even know where does the hatred come from. I can't answer your question and satisfy your curiosity. I dislike you in so many ways including your poor family. So, please don't buy nor wear those fake luxury clothes. Otherwise, you'll certainly embarrass my brother in front of his clients and friends." Claire gauged Leena's dress with her eyes. Although the dress looked expensive and elegant, it couldn't alter the fact that Leena came from a low-class family.
"Well, I know what you mean. You can forget my questions. By the way, if you have nothing else to tell me, please leave and let me cook a breakfast for your family. I don't like being stared at when I cook in the kitchen." Leena's voice became cold upon hearing what Claire just said. She raised her head defiantly and refrained herself from sobbing in front of Claire. There was no need to explain anything to the woman as she had already judged her whole family as low-class and indecent. 'She can keep judging me as long as she likes,' thought Leena to herself. She knew she wouldn't stay with Kevin's family for a long period of time. They were expected to leave in a couple of days. These concerns about Kevin's family and his sister would be gone as soon as they stepped back to S City. Nonetheless, she might still need to visit his parents every several months just to avoid being criticized for not coming. They couldn't just reason out that Kevin was always on overtime and couldn't even find time to bring his wife to his parent's house, could they? Therefore, as long as she didn't live with Claire in the same house, everything would be fine.